No matter how the wind howls, the mountain will not bow to it. - Chinese proverb
All warriors love mountains. From a martial arts standpoint, mountains (山) are a symbol of strength and courage, but mountains can also represent difficulty or challenge. Every day, and maybe even every moment of our lives, we find ourselves confronted by a mountain or a challenge. Training teaches us that we can either perceive these mountains as being blockades which are preventing us from being successful or we can see climbing them as the building blocks to our greatness. Therefore, mountains are all about perspective. A person who studies a martial art doesn’t see mountains or challenges as being negative. They see everything from the positive perspective of the journey of mastery where mountains are merely a test of our mastery or a lesson toward it. Some days, the mountain can be just making it to the dojo where just getting there seems like a herculean feat. On other days, the mountain can be just making it through class. Regardless of the mountain which confronts us, it is all relative as every person is challenged by their own mountain and each of us is struggling with ours. Only after we have overcome our mountain do we realize that they were only mountains in our minds. Diplomat Dag Hammerskjold said, “Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was.” With every mountain we surmount, we build strength and gain courage and thus in doing so become a mountain ourselves. On the meaning of life, Dostoyevsky once wrote, “To be a human being among people and to remain one forever, no matter in what circumstances, not to grow despondent and not to lose heart—that’s what life is all about, that’s its task.” Mountains, or the challenges they represent, help us understand ourselves and teach us the meaning of life and that is why all warriors love mountains.
Today’s goal: Every day, there is going to be some wind blowing. Be a mountain; don’t let it get to you.
Watch this video to better understand how the obstacle is the Way.